a tiny fretboard

I've been asked by a few tiny uke enthusiast  as to how i do my fretting. there's really no secret or mystery to it . the process is the same just as you would on a regular sized instrument just 10x harder in my opinion. i hope this few photos answers those questions.

first, i mark the fret lines on the fingerboard. i use a blue painters tape so i can see the pencil mark better against the dark indian rosewood.

next, i use i fine kerfed saw for the initial cut. I'm using a simple jig i bought at a Woodcraft store in sacramento ,CA   5 years ago.

 after I finish cutting with a small japanese saw with the correct kerf depth and blade width, i then use a needle file shown below, to widen the cut just a scosh for a easy fret seating later.

here's what I'm talking about. if you notice the first 2 fret slots to the left is narrow compared to the subsequent fret slots to the right.

this tiny jewelers hammer works great for the nickel frets i use. they tend to ding easily with strong blows. stew-mac ought to fix this problem sometime.

..i nip the fret end and then a drop of thin Cyanoacrylate glue on either ends to secure.

 then its glue time..

here it is all clamped up..

below is an example of what a finished fingerboard looks like on my tiny ukes.

again, this is just my personal approach on how to go upon this process. this is why i love luthier as there isn't a single way to do things. i just like to do it the old way. no fancy jigs etc.. i love my phalanges intact. i do the same exact way in all of my builds.